Adventures in a psychedelic zen garden!?!

I thought I'd post some snippets of my latest 'work in progress'...I have no names in mind as yet…In principle it's quite simple, lot's of circles and curves, lots of colours

On reflection it looks like a psychedelic zen garden! I'm still experimenting with circles and rainbow brights, and hopefully pushing on in the right direction!

This design will hopefully surface as a set of square notecards or even maybe a giclée print...though it would look rather snazzy as a cushion cover or fabric design too!

Let me know what you think!

EDIT: I just said 'snazzy' in a blog post...*slaps self*

Coriandr Express Pt.12

It's time for a new Coriandr Express VIP...today it's the turn of the lovely Alison who runs the Coriandr shop FruteJuce!

Alison makes and sells an assortment of fun and quirky things from felt fridge magnets right through to free machine stitched kids t-shirts and onesies! Here's what Alison has to say: "Hi I am Alison From Milton Keynes, Bucks. I have always had an interest in making things. My parents never bought anything without trying to make it first so I kind of inherited the 'make it gene'. I am driven by interest so whatever takes my fancy at that moment is what I make, so my items can be quite changeable."

I've chosen a few of my top picks from the FruteJuce shop, and to make the prices even sweeter, there's 10% off everything until the end of June!

You can follow FruteJuce on Twitter, or read more on Alison's blog. There's loads more to see in the Coriandr store, go grab a summer bargain today!

Coriandr Express Pt.11

Coriandr is the exciting, fast growing UK based handmade site. Coriandr Express was set up by a small group of Coriandr sellers and is a way to 'spread the love' about other shops on the site...

Today's Coriandr Express VIP is Alice from Snapdragon Beads, the self-proclaimed 'Imelda Marcos of beads'! Alice creates stunning beadwork that reminds me of the complex pattern formed by the seeds in the centre of a sunflower.

Here's what she has to say, "My name is Alice and I'm addicted to beads. In fact, I am the Imelda Marcos of beads! I have been making and selling jewellery for nearly 14 years. I had intended to go to Art College to study costume design but some how ended up studying at Trinity College in Dublin. As a result I hold degrees in Computer Engineering and Mathematics. I moved to the UK from Ireland shortly after my last exam and settled in the market town of Biggleswade about 50 miles north of London. I have always loved making jewellery and my passion is off-loom bead weaving. I worked for a number of years in IT but have recently left that world behind me to be a stay at home mum to Amelia who was born in April '08."

Here are my favourite pieces from Alice's Coriandr shop, I love the deceptively simple shapes and vibrant colours!

Alice is also running a Coriandr Express special offer, with free shipping on all purchases from Snapdragon Beads on Coriandr until the end of June.

You can follow Alice on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, or find out more on her blog.

Coriandr Express Pt.10

Our latest Coriandr Express VIP is the fantastic myfuroshiki!

I met Mich who runs myfuroshiki at the Keighley Arts Market back in April and was so impressed by her vibrant stall that I ran a feature about her over on Coriandr’s blog. Furoshiki are an ancient Japanese form of wrapping that is very environmentally sound, the furoshiki can be used time and time again for loads of different purposes. No waste!

Here's what Mich has to say about myfuroshiki:

“Hello, my name is Michiko Yasue and my sister Olivia and I form myfuroshiki, dedicated to the design and production of fabric wrapping cloths and accessories. The myfuroshiki range of furoshiki is inspired by the Japanese tradition of using fabric to wrap gifts, make bags & create decorative wall hangings. We offer a range of fabrics including our own designs, hand printed & tie-dyed onto cotton cloths, as well as a selection of gorgeous prints & woven checks that we have sourced. myfuroshiki are fun, fuss-free, affordable & eco-friendly. No tearing, no scissors, no sticky tape, no waste. Just one or two simple knots & even the oddest shaped object can look impressive. Please have a look at our blog at myfuroshiki.blogspot.com for more ideas on how to use furoshiki. We hope you'll love them as much as we do - it's the wrapping revolution!”

Here are just a few samples from the myfuroshiki Coriandr shop.

You can follow myfuroshiki on Twitter, Facebook or Plurk or read more on the blog.

Coriandr Express Pt.9

“Dichroic Glass...is glass containing multiple micro-layers of metal oxides which give the glass dichroic optical properties. Dichroic glass was originally developed by NASA for use in satellite optics and spacesuit visors.”

There, that's the science bit over and done with.

Debbs Elliman is todays Coriandr Express VIP and really excels with her stunning dichroic creations! Debbs sells a variety of different handmade goodies in her Coriandr shop, but it's the dichroic glass work that really fascinates me, so that's what I'll be showing you more of today. I love the way that the pieces change colour and look different when light hits them at a certain angle – absolutely stunning. They remind me of the colours that refract on feathers or butterfly wings.

These are just a few of my favourite pieces of dichroic glass from her Coriandr shop. Though there are loads of different styles and colours to choose from and all at very competitive prices!

You can read an interview with Debbs over on Coriandr Express, follow her on Twitter, be her Facebook friend, or just find out more by reading her blog!

Coriandr Express Pt.8

We are nearly half way through the Coriandr Express journey now. It's been a long but very fun train ride so far!

Our new Coriandr Express VIP is the very talented Catherine from Mrs Toad Designs...here's a brief introduction in her own words: "I'm Catherine, an 18 year old student from the Midlands, and owner of Mrs Toad Designs. I have always enjoyed making things, and have been sewing since I was small. For the past five years I have been designing and making beaded jewellery, as well as hand stitched felt brooches. Recently I have begun making my own felt, using wet and dry felting techniques and Merino Cross wool, which I use to create my felt cake pincushions."

Here are my favourite things from Mrs Toad Designs’ Coriandr shop.

Unashamedly British and celebrating all the fun of our 'time for tea' rituals. Lovely stuff! You can find out more about Catherine here on her blog.

Coriandr Express Pt.7

Today's Coriandr Express VIP is the very fantastic Nic's Knots!

Nic's Knots is home to handmade knitting needle rolls, drawstring project bags, make-up bags, and little girl bags in fabrics floral to funky. Nic started making needle rolls for a friend who was opening a yarn shop then the whole thing sprung out of there!

Nic is an experienced online seller, who has joined the ever expanding marketplace that is Coriandr, in the hope of spreading the word even further! Nic's work is fun, funky and vibrant and aimed at the ever increasing 'twenty-something' knitting market. What would your granny say!

Here are my three top picks from Nic's Coriandr shop (just click on the pics for more details):

Remember that Coriandr is a global marketplace for both buyers and sellers, and Nic has a special Coriandr offer for this week only...FREE international shipping on all orders – click here for details!

You can become a Nic's Knots Facebook fan here, or follow Nic on Twitter here, or catch up on Nic's blog here! Phew!

8 Things

Do you ever feel like you've been set up? :P A few days ago I was tagged by CeeGee Jewellery Design which means I have to complete these lists of 8 things and tag another 8 bloggers to do the same...It's taken me a little while to finish my answers, so some of them are already out of date! Oh well, here goes…

THE RULES:

1. Mention the name of the person who tagged you.

2. Complete the lists of 8 Things.

3. Tag 8 bloggers of your choice.

4. Let them know that they have been tagged!

8 Things I'm looking forward to:

1. Summer arriving and staying for a while!

2. 'The Weekend'

3. Booking a summer holiday

4. Finding some money to book a summer holiday with!

5. The first ripe tomato on our outdoor plants

6. Finishing 'The Shed' so that wifey can start lampworking

7. Seeing the Fleet Foxes (again!) in Leeds and Manchester

8. Retiring (although it is quite a long way off!!!)

8 Things I did yesterday:

1. Ate lunch in the park with two friends from work (imagine 'Last of the Summer Wine' but with venom)

2. Posted a 'Together' card to NYC – yay! global monkey domination!

3. Lugged my old washer out of the house and loaded it onto a fellow Freecyclers van

4. Took photographs of a new mirror design

5. Listened to the new Scott Matthews album

6. Went to work early

7. Got home from work late

8. Drank red wine

8 Things I wish I could do:

1. Have freaky 'winning Lotto number' premonitions

2. Have more hours in the day

3. Fly

4. Become self-sufficient in a huge house on the Cornish coast

5. Tolerate (!)

6. Become invisible at will

7. Print money

8. Live the infamous 'Etsy Quit Your Day Job' ideal

8 Shows I watch (I don't really watch much TV anymore and I struggled with this one!)

1. Flight Of The Conchords

2. CBeebies Bedtime Hour

3. Grand Designs

4. Desperate Housewives

5. Heroes

6. Location, Location, Location

7. Later…

8. Any music documentaries

8 Victims (picked at random from my blog followers)

1. Scarlett the Heavenly Healer

2. JD By Laura

3. Garden Tips

4. Michael Barley Abbott

5. PickalaPoopa

6. Catherine

7. Fibrespace

8. Lilyja

I'm so sorry to everyone that I've tagged...forgive me! :D

Coriandr Express Pt.6

Today's Coriandr Express VIP is Creativesque!

Creativesque is run by Stacey-Ann. I'll let her introduce herself, “Hi, I am an artist, illustrator and mum of two gorgeous little ones. I live in London, England and I love drawing, colouring in and making stuff. My main tools are paper, card, watercolour paints, black ink pens and my sewing machine. People inspire me and so do my surroundings. I love drawing and painting faces because I find them fascinating. I enjoy sending my work out into the world and seeing what happens and I try to offer only the work that I've enjoyed creating. In this way I hope to do my bit to make the world go round and make it a happier place for my children to live in as they grow.”

Stacey-Ann's work is vibrant, fun and colourful, here are my favourite things from her Coriandr shop…

You can follow Stacey-Ann on Twitter or catch up with her creative adventures on her blog. Do try and check out her Coriandr shop for more fantastic, value for money pieces!

Coriandr Express Pt.5

Today's latest VIP on the Coriandr Express is Pirate Pixie Crew!

Lynne, the brains behind the outfit, lives in South Wales, and fills her shop with fun and adventure! She lovingly handcrafts 'things from wool' with a healthy dash of pirate action :) Lynne's work is playful and full of colour, you just have to see her shop to realise how much she enjoys what she does!

I love the fact that you get a Captain Skulduggery Dug crew membership card with every hat – great attention to detail!

Below are my favourite items from the Coriandr store (just click the images for more info), plus if you are quick, you can grab yourself a 10% discount by following this link.

You can read more about Lynne and her work, here and here! You can follow her on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook too!

Lynne is a very active blogger and also runs a fantastic blog site called Autonomous Artisans. The site is updated daily and features many new artists and their work – well worth following!

As if it wasn't full time work being the Captain of an unruly crew...Lynne also runs Hyperloop Hoops with her partner Jon – spreading hooping and 'the wiggle' to the masses!